1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for measuring and controlling liquid flow, and more specifically to systems and methods for measuring and controlling liquid flow in environments where bubbles may be present in the liquid flow.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Several techniques exist for measuring a flow rate of a liquid flowing in a conduit, pipe, or tube. These include thermal flow meters, coriolis force flow meters, differential pressure flow meters, and ultrasonic flow meters. Generally, liquid flow meters sense one or more parameters of the flow that can be calibrated to correspond to the rate (e.g., volumetric or mass) of flow of the liquid. Such flow meters can be used either as passive monitors of liquid flow through a system of interest (i.e., used as a flow meter), or as a sensor element in a closed-loop feedback system that controls liquid flow in the system of interest (i.e., as a flow meter in a flow rate controller).